Raucher took the bronze medal in the Smoke Beer category of the WBC, finishing third out of 79 beers entered in the section. The WBC is held every two years and features submission from breweries all over the world. The 2016 event had 6,596 beers from 1,907 breweries representing 55 countries submitted for consideration.

Roberts said he frequently hears from customers and other brewers that Wolverine makes world-class lagers, but with World Beer Cup award, they can now say they're a top brewer.

The beer itself uses a mixture of different malts including a beechwood smoked malt from Germany, a few different German-inspired malts the add nuttiness and bread notes to the beer, as well as a honey malt that gives the beer a distinct sweetness and balances out the smoke flavors.

Roberts said he came up with the recipe because he's a fan of smoked beers, but admits they're typically not a style that most people enjoy more than a glass or two of when drinking them. Roberts decided to work on a recipe that made the smoked-style beer easier to drink.

"I spent a lot of time going over my other recipes and came up with that one. I made it lighter than normal," Roberts said, adding the beer has a camp fire type of smoky flavor.

The first time he brewed the beer, it was a received well by customers, but didn't sell fast because of how unapproachable smoked beers typically are. Still, the beer has become popular in the tap room.

Wolverine submitted the beer to the judges at its freshest point so that it would be in its best state when it arrived. Roberts said he finished the batch right before bottling and mailing the beer.

"I think that played a huge role in helping the beer do well," Roberts said, adding that he hasn't received the judging sheets yet to hear the feedback on the beer.

Raucher is still on tap in at the Wolverine tap room and will eventually make its way to other bars in the area once they've had time to let the news get out to different bars. Roberts said winning the award isn't just about the beer itself. It's also about the people and the community that supports Wolverine.

"The brewery as a whole, we are so excited. The pride that we take in it and our regular customers and fans of our beer, I think it invigorates the community around here having beers."